Flying-time and like indicator



July 2, 1935,; H. c. M/AYERS :FLYING TIME AND LIKE nwzcuon Filed Jan. 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 III [#7019 H C. Mavens.

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July 2, 1935. H. c. MAYERS FLYING TIME AND LIKE INDICATOR Filed Jan. 1'7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JIVVENTOE H- C m Patented July 2, .1935 4 2,006,682

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE FLYING-TIME AND LIKE INDICATOR Howard Clive Mayers, London, England Application January 17, 1935, Serial No. 2,299 In Great Britain August 22, 1933 2 Claims. (Cl. 161-15) c This invention relates to flying-time and like tlon of the indicating me er and may be p oindlcators, such for instance, as those constructed vided wi h eans w ch co to engagement in accordance with my British Patent No. 361,663, w a Step w en a d indicating means is d eof November 26, 1931 and the United States Pat- P d at Ze o. cut No. 1,967,157, issued July 1'7, 1934, and it has h nv ti n is i ustrat d y way of ampl 5 for its object to provide an improved construction in the accomp nyin d aw s in which i which, although capable of being used s as t Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation give accurate time indications, conveniently in through the clockwork mechanism, the Spindles. of

terms of fractions of a minute, is at the same the B train being Shown in the Plane of the time arranged so as to register for a comparai 10 tively long period, usually amounting to several gure 2 is a front viewof the instrum n the hours. dial being partly broken away;

According t th present invention a clock- Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of the inwork mechanism for e flying-time or like timestrument to an enlarged scale;

integrating device comprises in combination a. Figure 4 Shows the instrument in 15 gear train controlled by an escapement and actution; ated by a mainspring to which it is connected by Figure 5 is a front elevation of the 511x111"? a ratchet device, a rotatable trip-time indicating main Wheel and 105$ motion deviee; member connected frictionally with the gear Figure 6 is 8 frenii elevation 01 the F 9 hour train, and a rotatable winding member for simulin egrating means when the instrument is 111d! 20 taneously winding the main spring and resetting 98 the maximum p time; and to zero the trip-time indicating member, which Flgul'e 7 is a View corresponding to Figure 6 latter is arranged to rotate a plurality of times when the instrument is in its f l wound and for each revolution of the winding member. Prefreset cohditioni 5 erably the winding member is connected with the ReferrihB firefly Figures 1 and 3, it will be trip indicating means through a lost motion deseen that the instrument mp s a up-shap d vice to prevent the transference to the trip time m o e e a ll 01 whic a m tal indicating member of any backlash which may be capsule is Secured, a d p u beihfl P d occasioned by the ratchet device. The spindle of with a screw threaded nipple w y t c the winding member may, if desired, be connected be with Vehturi Ditot u in the 30 with a spindle of the usual gear train of the clockknown manner- The real Plate d front work by two sets of gear wheels having identical plate accommodate between h a 0100!- gear ratios and arranged in parallel, one of said Work mechanism which is indicated generally at gear wheels being provided with a lost motion I, d ont P a e l5 be a d 88 own device for enabling the indicating member to be a IT for supporting a dial l8, wh e e adja n 35 reset exactly to zero despite any return move- P f e 0881118 I is o med with slots ll ment of the winding memb d t any n i; whereby the dial It can be illuminated from a backlash in the means used for holding the main lateral direction A celluloid strip 2 p events spring in it wo d diti the access of dirt through the slots l9, while 40 The clockwork mechanism may conveniently the front Of the instrument is closed by 81888 ll 40 comprise an escapement driven from a spring or h in Position by meimsef a bezel equivalent through the medium of a gear train, a T clockwork mechanism the component winding spindle upon which the spring is mountpa s f wh are sh w more clearly n Figure ed, said spindle being connected with the gear co p 8 mai nrins t e Outer end 23 5 train through a ratchet device, and to the inof which is secured to a convenient part of the dicatlng member through multiplying gear having frame, while the inner end isattached to a winda coupling permitting lost motion, while the inin: spin le 25 x en n thr h h plate 5 and dlcating member and the escapement gear train glass 2| to the outside of the instrument where it I are connected together frictionally so as to peris provided with a winding and reset knob 2|.

5 mit slipping during the rewinding operation. Secured fast upon the :winding spindle 25 is a ,The above described mechanism may be assoratchet wheel 21 which co-operates with a pawl ciated with a metal capsule for connection 'with '28 carried by a maingear wheel 29 inthe usual at source of fluid pressure which serves to control manner, so that as soon as the winding torque is the mechanism, while trip hour integrating means released from the knob 26 the unwinding action maybe moved progressively once for each revoluof the sprlng 24 transfers a reverse torque to 66 the gear train through the main wheel 26. In accordance with the usual clock practice the main wheel 29 meshes with pinion 30 which is frictionally mounted upon a subsidiary spindle 3| owing to the action of a spring 32. The gear wheel 33 formed in one with the pinion 36 is geared through the intermediary of spindles 34 and 35-toan escapement wheel 36, movement of which latter is controlled in the known manner by means of a lever 31 and balance wheel 38 having a spiral spring 39, the whole arrangement being such that the subsidiary spindle 3| is con-.-

strained to make one revolution per hour while the clockwork is operating.

, Operation of the escapement is controlled from this capsule l2 by mechanism corresponding to that disclosed in Figures 1 and 2 of the prior U. S. Patent No. 1,967,157, and including a wire 46 which is normally disposed between two of the teeth of the escapement wheel 36, the arrangement being such that when suiiicient air pressure is applied to the capsule l2, as for example when the aeroplane ls in flight, the wire 46 is lifted away from the escapement wheel 36 by means of a linkage indicated generally at I, thus rendering operative the clockwork mechanism.

, In order to indicate the trip time a hand 50 is carried by a sleeve 5| rotatable upon the winding spindle 25, and is driven at the rate of one revolution per hour from the subsidiary spindle 3|, gear wheels 52 and 53 of equal diameter being provided for this purpose. The gear wheel 53 is fast upon the subsidiary spindle 3|, while a pinion 54 is similarly secured thereto, said pinion 54 being arranged tomesh with an auxiliary main wheel 55. The gear ratio between the pinion 54 and auxiliary main wheel 55 is equal to that between the pinion 30 and the main wheel 29. A lost motion device is provided between the winding spindle 25 and the auxiliary,

during the prevailing flight, and for this purpose a pin 51, rigid with the sleeve 5|, is arranged to actuate a trip hour disc 58 by means of a star wheel 59, the construction of which latter is shown more clearly in Figures 6 and 7. The teeth of the star wheel 59 are also engaged by a de- 'tent spring 60 which provides a snap action, and it will be realized from Figure 7 that as the sleeve 5| rotates once per hour in a clockwise di-' rection the star wheel 59 will be moved in an anti-clockwise direction one step for each hour.

until the position shown in Figure 6 is reached when a stop 6| fixed to, the star wheel 59 encounters a screw head 62 carried by the plate l5.

This prevents further operation of the clockwork mechanism and stops the instrument.-

In resetting the instrument to zero, the knob 26 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction, and it will be seen that this rewinds the spring 24 at the same time rapidly rotating the hand 50 also in an anti-clockwise direction but at an increased speed due to the gear ratio between.

the wheels 55 and 54. As the hand 50 reaches 'the zero indication on the scale during that revolution when the trip hour disc 58 is also registering zero, the parts assume the position shown in Figure 7. thus. providing a positive stop for the winding knob 26. It is very unlikely, however, that when this position is reached the pawl 26 will be firmly seated in one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 21, so that a slight return movement of the knob 26 is inevitable as the winding pressure is released therefrom. This, however, is not transferred to the hand 56 in a magnified form owing to the manner in which the auxiliary main wheel is mounted, the

slight return movement of the spindle 25 causing the pin 56 to assume a position indicated at "at without influencing the zero setting of the hand so.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the instrument is also provided with a total time indicator comprising a series of discs 63, 64, 65 and 66 which are driven by star wheels in the known manner so as to indicate decimals, units, tens and hundreds of hours flight respectively. The disc 63 is connected with a spindle 61 (see Figure 3) which latter is driven directly from the main wheel 29 so that the total flying time indicator is not returned to zero each time the instrument is reset.

The front view of the instrument is shown in Figure 4, from which it will be seen that the hand 50 co-operates with a minute scale III, each minute being divided into quarters for the purpose of enabling accurate time indications to be made.

- The actual form of the instrument may, of course, be modified to suit the particular kind of service for which it is required, appropriate fixing means being provided for the instrument. Moreover, the calibration of the dial and other indicating means may be arranged to suit requirements, and if desired the trip hour indicator, where such is included, may be adapted to read up to one hundred or more hours. The

design described, however, is particularly compact and is eflicient in action, especially owing to the fact that the actuation of a single knob enables the instrument to be set rapidly to zero in an accurate manner and at the same time rewinds the spring.

controlling the operation of the instrument according to the apparatus with which it is being used, and in instances where a capsule or diaphragm is incorporated this may be actuated by water, oil or other appropriate liquid having a pressure greater or less than the pressure of the casing within the instrument.

What I claim is:-- 1. In a clockwork mechanism, a gear train, a

winding shaft, an indicating member rotatable about the winding shaft, a spring coiled about the winding shaft and at one end secured thereto, the gear train including a spindle having a small gear fixed thereon and a large gear rotatable thereon, intermeshing gears carried by the indicating member and spindle, a pinion carried by the large gear and corresponding in size to the small gear, a ratchet disc fixed to said winding shaft, a large running gear loose about the winding shaft andv meshing with said pinion, a pawl carried by the loose gear on the winding shaft and engaging teeth of the ratchet disc, a large setting gear loosely mounted on the winding shaft and meshingwith the small gear of the spindle for imparting rotation thereto, and a lost motion connection between the winding shaft and the setting gear.

2. In a clockwork mechanism, a gear train, a winding shaft, an indicating member rotatable '45 Any suitable means can, of course, be used for w about the winding shaft, 8. spring coiled about the winding shaft and at one end secured thereto, the gear train including a spindle having a small gear flxedvthereon and a large gear totatable thereon, intermeshing gears carried by the indicating member and spindle, a. pinion carried by the large gear and corresponding in size to the small gear, a ratchet disc fined to said winding-shaft, a large running gear loose about the winding shait and meshing with said pinion, a pawl carried by the loose gear on the winding shaft and engaging teeth 0! the ratchet disc, a. large setting gearlooaely mounted on the winding shaft and meshing with the small gear of the spindle for imparting rotation thereto, the setting gear having a pocket leading from its shaft receiving opening, and a pin projecting from the winding shaft into the pocket and providing a lost motion connection between the winding shaft and setting gear.

HOWARD CLIVE HAYIRS. 

